I am so tired of hearing this "if we don't have vouchers, that means parents can't choose where their children go to school." Yes, they can. This is just about whether they (and primarily wealthy people) can get tax money to partially subsidize their choice.

By Voice of Utah's logic, only if you are rich enough to pay taxes AND can afford private school is it okay to go choose for your child to go somewhere other than a public school.

My point was that it is not an entitlement to have greater flexibility in school choice. Using "entitlement" and calling this a new government program is rhetoric trying to turn this issue back on conservatives.

Public schools constantly get more money with not much to show for it. They are afraid of competition. And Gov. Walker's comments suggest that she doesn't trust parents to make the best choices for their children. That's offensive.

Voice makes a great point about the work "choice".Voucher proponents would have a better case in arguing for vouchers if they would stop using the term "Choice". Parents can choose now. This whole voucher fixation is just a step in making sure public schools fail by diverting money away from public schools.No matter what the facts are, no matter if private schools will help, using "choice" is not an effective tool in arguing for vouchers.Again, choice exists now.

Name ANY other government program that expects so little accountability for so much money!

Vouchers imply a trust relationship amongst three stakeholders - Parents, Private Schools, and Taxpayers. HB148 does not honor this trust relationship because the taxpayers are left out. And, ironically, as much as folks want to beat the drum of parental choice, the lack of safeguards in the bill to protect them will ultimately hurt many of them as well.

If HB148 takes effect it will cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Granted, the bill would help some students go to a private school - however, the cost to subsidize those who would have never gone to public school in the first place far exceeds the savings from those who switch. The impartial analysis contained in the voter information guide shows that vouchers will cost far more than they will save.

The high expense and lack of accountability outweigh any benefits the bill might provide. Therefore I cannot support the bill and will vote against HB148.